Author’s note: The free-to-play pricing model I discuss here is in regards to games that can be played without spending any money, rather than the label that MMORPG games use when they don’t require a subscription fee (but still do require an initial purchase). I will also be intentionally not talking about the majority of gameplay, to instead focus on Warframe’s free-to-play aspect.

It’s not uncommon for the gaming community to dismiss a title, even if it looks promising, if it releases with a free-to-play payment model. I admit that when I see the words ‘free to play’ attached to a game, even I immediately assume the worst: Microtransactions designed to gouge the player’s wallet, important game content gated by paywalls, or (usually in PvP games) a pay-to-win scenario. It’s a stigma that free-to-play games aren’t entirely undeserving of. But just because the payment model usually doesn’t work, does it mean that it can’t?Read More